Modern Hotel Room
Modern Hotel Room
"Thanks for all your help with our website and your
suggestions. We get so many comments on our web site.
Web reservations are going great. Your other marketing
advice is working well too!"
Thanks
-Kathy, Innkeeper
Inn at The Rostay, Bethel, Maine
We recently attended the Epcot Food & Wine
hospitality expo and the New York Hotel Show. The
message is clear. You need to update your hotel
property and reinvigorate your menus to meet and
exceed today’s sophisticated savvy travelers’
expectation.. Customers expect top shelf but that
doesn’t’ have to cost you or them top dollar…
Luxury doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Less
is more in today’s decorating terms, as chain hotel
and luxury properties have demonstrated – so many
have refreshed their décor recently. High end
doesn’t have to be at a high price for the hotelier.
But yesterday’s décor doesn’t cut it anymore. Even
the mature guest now wants modern clean design with
some element of surprise or interest beyond the
boring basic room. The key to a quality redesign,
that will deliver payback, is the right focus and
the right choice of materials – furnishing,
flooring, fabrics and wall-coverings that look rich
and unique but are inexpensive and adaptable.
In recent years Holiday Inns simplified their logo,
and launched redecorated rooms and spaces with clean
bold colors and contrasting crisp white linens, new
lighting and spa-like bath components that don’t
cost a fortune but exude a fresh style.
Today’s travelers are savvy, they have unlimited
travel options via the web. They want a deal, but
they also want to be dazzled –they expect value but
they also want that little something extra! The wow
factor…
Guest rooms should have an artistic element, a bold
print or painting, a unique wall covering accented
with mood lighting that is adjustable. Creating an
environment, not just a room, is what today’s luxury
on a budget is all about. Of course today’s traveler
wants all the technology they have at home – and
more (otherwise they’d just stay home). They expect
WiFi, iPod docks, flat screen TVs and charging
stations for their electronics. To really wow the
guest, some properties are installing mirrors with
imbedded TVs, air conditioners that look like
picture frames, and accent lighting that changes
color in the room. Technology such as iHome docks
that have one day alarm setting – made specifically
for hotels – are genius.
New products like wall covering made to look like
expensive wood, textured marble or metal, or even a
life-size photo, are available today in far less
expensive laminate or vinyl which are easy to apply
over any surface and bring drama to just one accent
wall for example - transforming the room in a way
that needs only a few other design components for a
finished look.
So much can be accomplished with modern lighting,
and new carpet featuring bold design that ties in
the elements and color of the room - creating a
fresh modern feel. Furniture is being designed for
multi-functionality now. A wall console with a fold
out table or couch can conceal a Murphy bed. Old
school wardrobes (which are disappearing from modern
hotel rooms along with bathtubs- read on) can be
retrofit to host a flat screen and serve as a desk
or table top. New materials made with recycled, less
expensive material, allow for rich modern look
without the huge custom furnishing price tag.
Topic suites, aka themed rooms, continue to deliver
rave reviews. Customers enjoy and remember a unique
indigenous design. Hotels rooms that are serious or
traditional are just plain boring – not very
memorable and not worth a repeat visit or referral.
Hotels spaces should be interesting and inspiring,
offering something beyond what the consumer has at
home, a place that surprises with interesting
textures, or a dramatic focal point picture or
painting that reflects the property’s innate
setting. Modest yet elegant is the formula for
modern luxury. Knowing when to stop decorating is
key too. Adding to much clutter or kitsch can defeat
the desired design effect.
Lobbies and Front Desk areas are a guest’s first and
foremost impression, and should be inviting but
multifunctional. Nesting couches, chairs and small
tables that are moveable can create an inviting
space that is adaptable for small gatherings,
inviting people to socialize while exuding a welcome
“mod” vibe.
Choice Hotels recently renovated in what you might
call reasonable priced luxury, to keep their lower
price point clientele. Matthew Rowan, designer on
the Sleep Inn and Comfort and Choice Hotels project,
said, “Guests reaction to what we’d done was that
anything stuffy or overly high–end was a turn off.
People want accessible luxury, elements like home,
but better than home.” The Choice brand immediately
got rid of vivid prints and replaced them with more
neutral fabrics and earth tones, bathtubs were
completely eliminated allowing for more room for
specialty showers, sleek vanities, and interesting
fixtures. Wood veneer furniture products were used
to convey the same sense of quality, but with items
on budget that are greener and have multi-functions.
Every inch of the room should be functional – ex: a
day sofa that becomes a bed, a dresser that serves
as a desk (with a fold out panel), table or
entertainment center. Wardrobes went away, taking up
too much space that is rarely utilized by today’s
short stay traveler.
Even Motel 6 has redecorated their rooms, but
maintained their economy $40 per night rates. Their
new rooms feature bold single colored accent walls
and coordinated linens, ambient lighting, new bath
fixtures, entertainment center/armoire with media
centers that offer storage plus charging stations,
and wood effect flooring made from recycled
material.
See video
Payback for redecorating tends to run much faster
than in the past because of today’s social media
rankings and customers who make reservations based
on recent reviews. What your past guest loved about
you three years ago is not enough to maintain their
loyalty.
In today’s competitive market, you can’t afford not
to update your property.
IMS-21 - your hospitality marketing specialists